Method of Making an Article of Footwear

ABSTRACT

A method of making an article of footwear is disclosed. The method includes the steps of designing an article of footwear via a website, converting a footwear representation into a set of two-dimensional portions, printing the two dimensional portions onto a sheet material, cutting and assembling the two dimensional portions into a finalized article of footwear. The method further includes a step of shipping the article of footwear to a pre-designated shipping address.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to articles of footwear and inparticular to a method of making an article of footwear.

2. Description of Related Art

Customization systems for some types of apparel have been previouslyproposed. Usually, designs may be applied to t-shirts. In some cases,apparel such as jeans may be modified and custom designed. Sometimes,the system through which the customer designs and orders the apparel maybe the Internet.

Sullivan (U.S. patent No. 2005/0289018) discloses an online personalapparel design and sales technology with associated technology andfulfillment techniques and processes. Sullivan teaches methods forcustomized and personalized design of apparel. The most common type ofapparel taught by Sullivan includes various types of shirts andt-shirts. Generally, Sullivan teaches a system for customization, butdoes not disclose detailed processes by which the customized apparel areproduced.

Costin (U.S. patent No. 2005/0131571) teaches an Internet customizationof apparel. Specifically, Costin teaches an Internet based technique ofallowing customization of denim apparel over the Internet. Costin uses alaser device that etches designs and patterns into denim apparel.Generally, techniques of applying intricate images and graphicsinvolving multiple colors are not disclosed.

Allen et al. (U.S. patent No. 2005/0071242) discloses a method andsystem for custom-manufacturing footwear. This system and method mayallow a retailed to control the selection of choices given to thecustomer for custom-manufacturing the footwear. Generally, however, themethod of Allen lacks provisions for allowing for a full range ofgraphical designs and modifications to customize an article of footwear.In the method of Allen, the designs of the article of footwear arepre-determined by the manufacturer, allowing the user the option ofselecting between designs and in some cases, various colors for thedesigns. There is no feature, for example, allowing a user to add acustomized image of their choosing to an article of footwear.

Articles of footwear that may be designed by printing along atwo-dimensional portion of an article of footwear have also beenproposed. Davis et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,962) teaches an inventiondirected to an article of footwear and a method of making the same,where the article of footwear has a minimum number of upper pieces. Inthe method of Davis, the outer layer of the upper is molded using anembossing tool. Additionally, the outer layer may be decorated by screenprinting, sublimation, large format in jet printing, cold and hot peeltransfers, as well as other means. Generally, however, the method ofDavis is limited to printing only a single portion of an upper.

While the related art teaches various methods for customizing apparel,there are many shortcomings. Generally, the automated methods used forproducing customized apparel based on customized designs lack provisionsfor applying customized designs to objects with curved surfaces.Specifically, the methods used for producing customized t-shirts, whichare themselves flat and two-dimensional, are not appropriate forarticles of footwear that include many curved surfaces.

Additionally, the article of footwear disclosed in the prior art lackscustomization and variability in the footwear portions that may bemodified using a printer or other similar devices. There is therefore aneed in the art for a customization system directed at articles offootwear including steps for customizing the article of footwear as wellas steps for manufacturing the customized article of footwear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of making an article of footwear is disclosed. In one aspect,the invention provides a method of customizing an article of footwear,comprising the steps of: providing a graphical interface system fordesigning a three-dimensional footwear representation; receiving adesign including a customized three-dimensional footwear representation;converting the customized three-dimensional footwear representation intoat least one two-dimensional portion; printing the two-dimensionalportion onto a sheet material; cutting the sheet material into at leastone portion of the article of footwear; assembling the at least oneportion into a finalized article of footwear; and shipping the finalizedarticle of footwear to a pre-designated shipping address.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system includes a set ofgraphics tools.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system includes a text tool.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system includes a stripetool.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, the two-dimensional portion is printed onto the sheetmaterial with an ink jet printer.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for ordering acustomized article of footwear, comprising the steps of: interactingwith a graphical interface system; modifying a three-dimensionalfootwear representation; selecting a current graphics tool from a set ofgraphics tools; using the current graphics tool to modify a customerselected portion; and submitting a finalized design including acustomized footwear representation, and ordering the article offootwear.

In another aspect, text may be applied to the footwear representationusing a text tool.

In another aspect, the view of the footwear representation may bemodified using a directional tool.

In another aspect, the footwear representation may be translated usingthe directional tool.

In another aspect, the footwear representation may be rotated using thedirectional tool.

In another aspect, the step of modifying the three-dimensional footwearrepresentation includes a step of applying an image to thethree-dimensional footwear representation.

In another aspect, the image is a digital photo.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing acustomized article of footwear, comprising the steps of: providing agraphical interface system; providing a set of graphics tools; receivinginformation related to a customized footwear representation; andproducing a customized article of footwear based on the customizedfootwear representation.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system is accessible via anetwork.

In another aspect, the network is the Internet.

In another aspect, the step of producing the article of footwearincludes a step of printing a portion of the customized footwearrepresentation.

In another aspect, the portion is a two-dimensional portion.

In another aspect, the two-dimensional portion is printed onto a sheetmaterial.

In another aspect, a protective coating is applied to the sheet materialafter the printing step.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing acustomized article of footwear, comprising the steps of: receiving acustomized footwear representation from a customer; converting thecustomized footwear representation into at least one two-dimensionalportion; printing a graphical design corresponding to the at least onetwo-dimensional portion onto a sheet material; cutting at least oneportion of the sheet material corresponding to the at least one portionof the converted two-dimensional portions; and assembling the at leastone portion into a finalized article of footwear.

In another aspect, the step of receiving the customized footwearrepresentation from a customer includes the step of accessing theInternet.

In another aspect, the step of converting the customized footwearrepresentation into two or more two-dimensional portions includes a stepof optimizing the layout of the two-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, the step of printing the graphical design includes astep of applying a protective coating to the sheet material.

In another aspect, the assembled article of footwear is shipped to apre-designated shipping address.

In another aspect, the step of printing onto the sheet material includesa step of printing a label for the at least one two-dimensional portion.

In another aspect, the step of converting the three-dimensional footwearrepresentation includes a step of converting the three-dimensionalfootwear representation into a first two-dimensional portion and asecond two-dimensional portion.

In another aspect, the step of printing includes a step of printing afirst graphical design to the first two-dimensional portion and a secondgraphical design to the second two-dimensional portion along the sheetmaterial.

In another aspect, the step of cutting includes a step of cutting thefirst two-dimensional portion and the second two-dimensional portion.

In another aspect, the step of assembling includes a step of assemblingthe first two-dimensional portion and the second two-dimensional portioninto the finalized article of footwear.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of ordering anarticle of footwear with a custom designated image, comprising the stepsof: incorporating a custom designated image into a graphical interfacesystem; associating a footwear representation with the custom designatedimage; submitting a customized footwear representation including acustom designated image and ordering the article of footwear.

In another aspect, the custom designated image is submitted via anetwork.

In another aspect, the network is the Internet.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system includes a set ofgraphics tools.

In another aspect, the set of graphics tools includes a text tool.

In another aspect, the custom designated image is a photo.

In another aspect, the step of submitting a custom designated imageincludes a step of downloading an image from the Internet.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of producing anarticle of footwear with a custom designated image, comprising the stepsof: receiving a customized footwear representation including a customdesignated image; and producing the article of footwear based on thecustomized footwear representation that includes the custom designatedimage.

In another aspect, the step of receiving a custom designated imageincludes a step of accessing a network.

In another aspect, the network is the Internet.

In another aspect, the step of producing the article of footwearincludes a step of converting a portion of the customized footwearrepresentation including the custom designated image to atwo-dimensional portion.

In another aspect, the two-dimensional portion is printed on a sheetmaterial.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, a second custom designated image is incorporated.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of minimizing thetotal area of a sheet material used to manufacture a customized articleof footwear, comprising the steps of: dividing a three-dimensionalfootwear representation into a first two two-dimensional portion and asecond two-dimensional portion; optimizing a layout of thetwo-dimensional portions; and applying the optimized layout of the firsttwo-dimensional portion and the second two-dimensional portion to asheet material.

In another aspect, the three-dimensional footwear representation isdivided into three two-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, the three-dimensional footwear representation isdivided into more than three two-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, the step of optimizing a layout of thetwo-dimensional portions includes a step of minimizing the area disposedbetween the two-dimensional portions along a two-dimensional surface.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of customizing a pairof complementary articles of footwear, comprising the steps of:providing a graphical interface system for designing a three-dimensionalfootwear representation; receiving a design including a customizedthree-dimensional footwear representation; associating the customizedthree-dimensional footwear representation with a first article offootwear; including an option within the graphical interface system forduplicating the customized three-dimensional footwear representation tobe associated with a second article of footwear that is complementary tothe first article of footwear; and producing a pair of complementaryarticles of footwear.

In another aspect, the option is a button.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system includes a set ofgraphics tools.

In another aspect, the set of graphics tools includes a text tool.

In another aspect, the set of graphics tools includes a stripe tool.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system includes a directionaltool.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of customizing a pairof complementary articles of footwear, comprising the steps of:providing a graphical interface system for designing a firstthree-dimensional footwear representation and a second three-dimensionalfootwear representation; receiving a design including a first customizedthree-dimensional footwear representation and a second customizedthree-dimensional footwear representation; associating the firstcustomized three-dimensional footwear representation with a firstarticle of footwear and the second customized three-dimensional footwearrepresentation with a second article of footwear that is complementaryto the first; and producing a pair of complementary articles offootwear.

In another aspect, the first article of footwear is substantiallysimilar to the second article of footwear.

In another aspect, the first article of footwear is substantiallydissimilar to the second article of footwear.

In another aspect, the graphical interface system includes a set ofgraphics tools.

In another aspect, the set of graphics tools includes a text tool.

In another aspect, the set of graphics tools includes a stripe tool.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of minimizing thetotal area of a sheet material used to manufacture an article offootwear, comprising the steps of: dividing a design for an article offootwear into a first two-dimensional portion and a secondtwo-dimensional portion; optimizing a layout of the two-dimensionalportions; and applying the optimized layout of the first two-dimensionalportion and the second two-dimensional portion to a sheet material.

In another aspect, the design for the article of footwear is dividedinto three two-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, the design for the article of footwear is dividedinto more than three two-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, the step of optimizing a layout of thetwo-dimensional portions includes a step of minimizing the area disposedbetween the two-dimensional portions along a two-dimensional surface.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of minimizing thetotal area of a sheet material used to manufacture a complementary pairof footwear, comprising the steps of: dividing a first design for afirst article of footwear into a first two-dimensional portion and asecond two-dimensional portion; dividing a second design for a secondarticle of footwear that is complementary to the first into a thirdtwo-dimensional portion and a fourth two-dimensional portion; optimizingthe layout of the first two-dimensional portion, the secondtwo-dimensional portion, the third two-dimensional portion and thefourth two-dimensional portion; and applying the optimized layout of thefirst two-dimensional portion, the second two-dimensional portion, thethird two-dimensional portion and the fourth two-dimensional portion toa sheet material.

In another aspect, the first design for the first article of footwear isdivided into more than two portions.

In another aspect, the second design for the second article of footwearis divided into more than two portions.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, the first design and the second design are customizeddesigns.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing anarticle of footwear, comprising the steps of: receiving a design for anarticle of footwear; converting the design for the article of footwearinto at least one two-dimensional portion; printing a graphical designcorresponding to the at least one two-dimensional portion onto a sheetmaterial; applying a protective film to the sheet material; cutting atleast one portion of the sheet material corresponding to the at leastone portion of the converted two-dimensional portions; and assemblingthe at least one portion into a finalized article of footwear.

In another aspect, the protective film is a clear coating.

In another aspect, the protective film is a plastic film.

In another aspect, the protective film is applied to only a portion ofthe sheet material.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, the printer is any digital printer.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing anarticle of footwear, comprising the steps of: receiving a design for anarticle of footwear; converting the design for the article of footwearinto at least one two-dimensional portion, the at least onetwo-dimensional portion being associated with a first region of thearticle of footwear; printing a graphical design corresponding to the atleast one two-dimensional portion onto a sheet material and a labelassociated with the first region; cutting at least one portion of thesheet material corresponding to the at least one portion of theconverted two-dimensional portions; and assembling the at least oneportion into a finalized article of footwear.

In another aspect, the design is converted into multiple two-dimensionalportions.

In another aspect, the multiple two-dimensional portions are associatedwith a region of the article of footwear.

In another aspect, the multiple two-dimensional portions are printedonto a sheet material.

In another aspect, a label is printed and associated with each of thetwo-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, each of the two-dimensional portions are cut from thesheet material.

In another aspect, the article of footwear is assembled from themultiple two-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a stock material.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing acustomized article of footwear, comprising the steps of: receiving acustomized footwear representation from a customer; converting thecustomized footwear representation into a set of two-dimensionalportions, the set including at least one two-dimensional portion;associating each two-dimensional portion with a portion of a sheetmaterial; printing inside the entire area of each portion of the sheetmaterial; cutting each portion of the sheet material corresponding toset of converted two-dimensional portions; and assembling the portionsinto a finalized article of footwear.

In another aspect, the set of two-dimensional portions includes multipletwo-dimensional portions.

In another aspect, each two-dimensional portion is printed to a transferfilm.

In another aspect, the transfer film comprises a layer of polyurethane.

In another aspect, the sheet material is leather.

In another aspect, the sheet material is felt.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing acustomized article of footwear, comprising the steps of: receiving acustomized footwear representation from a customer; converting thecustomized footwear representation into at least one two-dimensionalportion; printing the reverse image of a graphical design correspondingto the at least one two-dimensional portion onto a transfer film;attaching the transfer film with a sheet material using a press; cuttingat least one portion of the sheet material corresponding to the at leastone portion of the converted two-dimensional portions; and assemblingthe at least one portion into a finalized article of footwear.

In another aspect, the transfer film comprises a layer of polyurethane.

In another aspect, a release paper is associated with the transfer film.

In another aspect, a texture is applied to the sheet material.

In another aspect, the texture is applied using an embossing roll.

In another aspect, the sheet material is leather.

In another aspect, the sheet material is felt.

In another aspect, the sheet material is a synthetic leather.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention willbe, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features andadvantages be included within this description and this summary, bewithin the scope of the invention, and be protected by the followingclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment of a customization system;

FIG. 2 is a preferred embodiment of a process for a customizationsystem;

FIG. 3 is a preferred embodiment of a detailed process for acustomization system;

FIG. 4 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical interface system;

FIG. 5 is a preferred embodiment of a system for gathering customdesignated images;

FIG. 6 is a preferred embodiment of a footwear representation with animage;

FIG. 7 is a preferred embodiment of a footwear representation with text;

FIG. 8 is a preferred embodiment of a footwear representation withstripes;

FIG. 9 is a preferred embodiment of a footwear representation withstripes;

FIG. 10 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical interface system;

FIG. 11 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical interface system;

FIG. 12 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical interface system;

FIG. 13 is an isometric exploded view of a preferred embodiment of afootwear representation;

FIG. 14 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of severaltwo-dimensional portions;

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of severaltwo-dimensional portions;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a sheet material;

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of a printer;

FIG. 18 is a view of a preferred embodiment of a printed film inreverse;

FIG. 19 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of a printed film;

FIG. 20 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a printed film beingtransferred to a material using a press;

FIG. 21 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a printed film beingtransferred to a material using a press;

FIG. 22 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a printed film beingtransferred to a material using an embossing roll;

FIG. 23 is a side cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of asheet material;

FIG. 24 is a side cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of asheet material;

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a printed sheetmaterial;

FIG. 26 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of a sheetmaterial being cut;

FIG. 27 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of an article offootwear being assembled; and

FIG. 28 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of an article offootwear being placed in a box for shipping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative embodiment ofcustomization system 101. The term customization system, as usedthroughout this detailed description, preferably refers to a system formanufacturing articles of footwear through the production of easilycustomizable portions of an article of footwear. In some embodiments,these portions may be customized by the manufacturer or a third partydesigner. In a preferred embodiment, the portions may be customized bythe party purchasing the articles of footwear.

In a preferred embodiment, customization system 101 comprises a remoteterminal 100 connected to factory 102 by way of network 104. Generally,remote terminal 100 may be any type of computer, including either adesktop or a laptop computer. In other embodiments, remote terminal 100may be any type of device that includes a display, a processor, and theability to transmit and receive data from a remote network. Examples ofsuch devices include, but are not limited to, PDA's, cell phones, aswell as other types of devices.

In this embodiment, factory 102 represents a manufacturing systemconfigured to manufacture articles of footwear. Here, factory 102 isshown as a single building for illustrative purposes only. In manycases, factory 102 will comprise many buildings. In some cases, factory102 may comprise many buildings that are disposed in differentgeographic locations. Generally, the term factory, as used here, mayalso refer to distributors and/or suppliers. In other words, the termfactory may also apply to various operations on the manufacturing side,including the operations responsible for parts, labor, and/or retail ofthe article of footwear, as well as other manufacturing side operations.

Preferably, network 104 is configured to relay information betweencomputer 100 and factory 102. Generally, network 104 may be a systemallowing for the exchange of information between computer 100 andfactory 102. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to,personal area networks, local area networks, wide area networks,client-server networks, peer-to-peer networks, as well as other types ofnetworks. Additionally, the network may support wired transmissions,wireless transmissions, or both wired and wireless transmissions. Insome embodiments, network 104 may be a packet-switched communicationssystem. In a preferred embodiment, network 104 may be the Internet.

Referring to FIG. 2, customization system 101 preferably includesprovisions that allow a customer to design an article of footwear thatwill be produced by a manufacturer. Process 200 is a flow diagram of howcustomization system 101 may proceed. During first step 202, a customermay interact with a website in order to design the article of footwear.Once the customer has finalized the design, the manufacturer may receivethe customer's design, as in second step 204. Following this, thearticle of footwear is preferably manufactured according to thecustomer's design during third step 206. Finally, during fourth step208, the custom designed article of footwear may be shipped to thecustomer.

Referring to FIG. 3, customization system 101 may be best understood byseparating the steps associated with remote terminal 100 and thoseassociated with factory 102. Preferably, those steps associated withremote terminal 100 are performed on or by remote terminal 100 and thosesteps associated with factory 102 are performed on or by factory 102.However, this is not necessarily the case, and some of the stepsassociated with remote terminal 100 may be performed on or by factory102 or some other resource, and some of the steps associated withfactory 102 may be performed on or by remote terminal 100 or some otherresource.

In step first step 302, a customer may access a remote website withremote terminal 100. Preferably, the customer may use the website todesign a customized article of footwear during this step. Here, the termwebsite is used in the most general sense as meaning any collection ofdata located on a remote server accessible with a web browser of somekind. In many cases, a website may be a collection of web pages found onthe World Wide Web. In a preferred embodiment, the term web page mayrefer to any HTML/XHTML document.

Preferably, factory 102 includes a server of some type that supports awebsite with a graphical interface system. This graphical interfacesystem may be preferably used to design an article of footwear. In someembodiments, the graphical interface system may be a graphical editor ofsome kind. In a preferred embodiment, the graphical interface system mayprovide a set of tools that allow the customer to easily apply a customdesign to an article of footwear.

In an alternative embodiment, a website supporting a graphical interfacesystem may be hosted outside of factory 102. In other words, the websitemay be owned and run by a third party separate from the manufacturer ofthe customizable articles of footwear. Generally, the process ofcustomizing an article of footwear may proceed as before. In this case,the finalized design information will be processed and sent to themanufacturer by the third party.

Once the customer has finished designing the article of footwear, thefinalized design may be submitted to factory 102 during second step 304.In some embodiments, the submission may be transferred through theInternet. Following this submission, factory 102 preferably receives andreviews the customized design during third step 306.

In fourth step 308, a layout may be prepared based on the customizeddesign information received from the customer. During fifth step 310,the various portions of the article of footwear may be printed to asheet material. During sixth step 312, the printed portions may be cutfrom the sheet material.

Once the portions of the article of footwear have been prepared,printed, and cut out of the sheet material, they may be assembled duringseventh step 314. Following this, the finished article of footwear ispreferably inspected during eighth step 316. During the last two steps,ninth step 318 and tenth step 320, the article of footwear is preferablyshipped from factory 102 to a pre-designated shipping address.

The following description discusses the details of the steps outlinedand briefly described with reference to FIG. 3. Preferably, a customerhas access to a remote terminal. Using the remote terminal, the customermay gain access to a website supplied by the manufacturer or a thirdparty. In some embodiments, the website may include a graphicalinterface system, as discussed briefly in first step 302.

Referring to FIG. 4, graphical interface system 400 preferably includesfootwear representation 402. The term footwear representation 402, asused throughout this specification and in the claims, refers to athree-dimensional embodiment of an article of footwear within graphicalinterface system 400. Specifically, the term footwear representationpreferably includes the structural design of the represented article offootwear. Additionally, the term footwear representation preferablyincludes any other design attributes including, but not limited to,patterns, shapes, designs, colors, images, and any other graphicalfeature of the outer surface of the represented article of footwear.

For the purposes of illustration, footwear representation 402 isdepicted here in the form of an athletic shoe. However, in otherembodiments, footwear representation 402 may be any other type offootwear including but not limited to, a boot, a basketball shoe, arunning shoe, a dance shoe, as well as other kinds of footwear.

Additionally, throughout this specification, it should be understoodthat not only a single article of footwear, but a pair of footwear maybe designed with a customization system. Any designs, tools, or othermechanisms applied to the design of one article of footwear may likewisebe applied to a second, complementary, article of footwear. The termcomplimentary, as used throughout this specification and in the claims,refers to the association of a left article of footwear with a rightarticle of footwear and vice-versa. Also, it should be understood thateach article of footwear of a pair may be designed independently. Inother words, the complementary articles of footwear need not includeidentical designs.

Preferably, graphical interface system 400 may include provisions formodifying the view of footwear representation 402. In some embodiments,this may include a provision for moving footwear representation 402 tovarious regions of graphical interface system 400. In a preferredembodiment, this may include a provision for rotating footwearrepresentation 402 about a set of axes.

In a preferred embodiment, graphical interface system 400 includesdirectional tool 404. In this embodiment, directional tool 404 isrepresented by a collection of four arrows. In some embodiments, thegraphical representation of directional tool 404 may be different. Insome embodiments, directional tool 404 may include additional arrows.

Preferably, directional tool 404 may be configured to change the view offootwear representation 402. Some examples of the types of changes inview include vertical and horizontal translation of footwearrepresentation 402 with respect to center 406 of graphical interfacesystem 400. In addition, directional tool 404 may be used to rotatefootwear representation 402 about x-axis 410, y-axis 412, and z-axis414. Using directional tool 404, a customer may change the view offootwear representation 402 in order to view different regions offootwear representation 402.

Generally, graphical interface system 400 may include provisions formodifying footwear representation 402. In some embodiments, graphicalinterface system 400 may include editing tools configured to modify thedesign of footwear representation 402. In a preferred embodiment,graphical interface system 400 may include tools similar to those foundin many graphical editing programs, such as those that draw lines, addtext, as well as other features.

Preferably, graphical interface system 400 may include toolbar 420.Toolbar 420 is preferably a collection of various graphics tools. Insome embodiments, toolbar 420 may include line tool 422. Additionally,toolbar 420 may include text tool 424. In some embodiments, toolbar 420may also include shape tool 426 and magnification tool 428. Generally,toolbar 420 may include many additional graphics tools. For illustrativepurposes, only a few of the many possible graphics tools are shown here.

Preferably, graphical interface system 400 includes provisions forallowing a customer to import various designs or graphics from outsidesources. In some embodiments, a customer may attach various mediadevices to a remote terminal in order to import various graphics ordesigns to graphical interface system 400. In a preferred embodiment, acustomer may upload pictures or photos from a digital camera or fromanother source. Generally, images acquired independently of graphicalinterface system 400 may be referred to as custom designated images.

Referring to FIG. 5-6, remote terminal 100 may be connected to digitalcamera 502 and scanner 504 through first cable 506 and second cable 508,respectively. Digital camera 502 and scanner 504 are only meant to berepresentative of the various types of digital media from which acustomer may import photos or other types of graphics. Generally, aphotograph taken with digital camera 502 may be imported directly toremote terminal 100. Likewise, a photograph may be scanned using scanner504 and transferred to remote terminal 100. From remote terminal 100,these graphics may be preferably uploaded to graphical interface system400 through network 104.

In some cases, graphical interface system 400 may be associated withdatabase 510 of pre-designed graphics and images. In a preferredembodiment, database 510 may be connected directly to graphicalinterface system 400. Database 510 may include any kind of storagedevice, including but not limited to magnetic, optical, magneto-optical,and/or other memory devices, including volatile memory and non-volatilememory devices.

Generally, images and graphics may be gathered from any source,including the Internet. In this case, images and graphics may bedownloaded from network 104 to remote terminal 100 and subsequentlytransmitted to graphical interface system 400.

In some embodiments, a predefined set of custom designated images may beloaded into image palette 602. In this embodiment, first image 604represents a photo that has been imported into graphical interfacesystem 400 by a customer through remote terminal 100. In someembodiments, image palette 602 may also include second image 606, thirdimage 608, and fourth image 610. Each of these images may have beenloaded into graphical interface system 400 from remote terminal 100,from database 510, or from another separate source.

Once the customer has selected first image 604, first copied image 612of first image 604 may be placed along a customer selected portion 620of footwear representation 402. Generally, a customer selected portionmay be any portion of footwear representation 402. In particular, thecustomer selected portion need not be a predefined location alongfootwear representation 402 determined by someone other than thecustomer.

In this embodiment, first copied image 612 may be identical to firstimage 604. Additional copies of first image 604 may also be placed alongfootwear representation 402. Using directional tool 404, the customermay move first copied image 612 so that it is disposed along any portionof footwear representation 402.

In some embodiments, a user may wish to design an article of footwearthat will include a tiled image. The term ‘tiling’, as used here, refersto the repeated use of the same image along the article of footwear,preferably in a precise geometric pattern, such as rows and columns. Inthis embodiment, second image 606 may be selected and tiled alongfootwear representation 402, using tiling tool 603. Although, in thisembodiment, second image 606 is a simple shape, in other embodiments anyimage, photo, or word may be tiled using tiling tool 603. In still otherembodiments, numbers and/or various logos may be added to footwearrepresentation 402 along any portion. These numbers and/or logos mayalso be tiled.

Generally, a customization system for an article of footwear may includeprovisions for applying words or letters to an article of footwear. Insome embodiments, a graphical interface system may include a provisionfor applying letters to a footwear representation. In a preferredembodiment, the graphical interface system may include a text tool.

Referring to FIG. 7, toolbox 420 preferably includes text tool 424, aspreviously discussed. In some embodiments, text tool 424 may be appliedto any portion of footwear representation 402. In a preferredembodiment, text tool 424 includes a variety of fonts as well as fontsizes and colors. In other words, a customer may add letters or words tofootwear representation using the default font and default font size.Following this, the customer may modify the font type, font size and/orfont color using font menu 702.

In this embodiment, footwear representation 402 includes first text 704.In some embodiments, first text 704 may be disposed along customerselected portion 705 of medial side 706. In a preferred embodiment,first text 704 may be a name. Generally, first text 704 may be any groupof letters that may be fit along medial side 706 of footwearrepresentation 402.

In many cases, the customer may prefer a particular background color ora set of colors for footwear representation 402. As the design willeventually be printed onto a sheet material that may not have thedesired background color, graphical interface system 400 preferablyincludes provisions for allowing the customer (or the manufacturer) toimplement a specific background color, or set of background colors(including a background image) to footwear representation 402. Byprinting a background color, substantially all of an article of footwearcan be colored using a digital printing process.

Preferably, a graphical interface system may include provisions foreasily applying simple patterns to a footwear representation. Since thefootwear representation is a two-dimensional representation of athree-dimensional object, the application of stripes and other designpatterns to the footwear representation should reflect the curved natureof the article of footwear. In this case it may be preferable that thegraphical interface system include tools for easily applying variouspatterns to the curved surfaces of the footwear representation.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, graphical interface system 400 may includefreehand line tool 802 and single stripe tool 840. In some embodiments,selecting free hand line tool 802 may allow the user to draw free handline 808 along footwear representation 402. In particular, free handline tool 802 is preferably configured to apply a user drawn wavy linealong customer designated portion 807 of footwear representation 402.Generally, custom selected portion 807 may be associated with anyportion of footwear representation 402.

In some cases, single stripe tool 840 may be selected, resulting in theapplication of stripe 804 to footwear representation 402. Preferably,stripe 804 is disposed over throat region 806 of footwear representation402. Using directional tool 404 to rotate footwear representation 402,vamp region 902 of footwear representation 402 may be seen to includestripe 804. In other words, stripe 804 continues from outsole 830 ofmedial side 706 to vamp region 902. In a similar manner, stripe 804 alsopreferably extends to a lateral side of footwear representation 402.

In some embodiments, stripes may be applied in a direction perpendicularto stripe 804. In other words, stripes that are oriented along thelength of footwear representation 402 may be applied. In a preferredembodiment, third stripe 1002 may be applied to footwear representation402 using single stripe tool 840. In this embodiment, third stripe 1002preferably runs from front region 1006 to rear region 1008 of footwearrepresentation 402.

With free hand line tool 802 and single stripe tool 840 the customerneed not account for the three dimensionality of the surface of thefinal article of footwear in applying stripes, lines or images tofootwear representation 402. Instead, graphical interface system 400applies the stripes, lines or images in a manner that matches thestructural design of the final article of footwear. Additionally, thethicknesses of shapes created using free hand line tool 802 and singlestripe tool 840 may be varied. In some embodiments, the colors ofstripes created using free hand line tool 802 and single stripe tool 840may also be varied. In a preferred embodiment, each of the tools 802 and840 may include customizable options including a thickness level and acolor selector.

The tools intended for graphic design and editing mentioned here are notmeant to be exhaustive, but only illustrative of the various types ofgraphical and editing tools that may be applied to footwearrepresentation 402 in order to allow a customer to personally customizean article of footwear to their exact specifications. Examples of othergraphical and/or editing tools that may be included in toolbox 420 orwithin graphical interface system 400 in general, include but are notlimited to, selection tools, direct selection tools, magic wand tools,pen tools, line segment tools, paintbrush tools, pencil tools, gradienttools, paint bucket tools, cropping tools, as well as other kinds oftools.

Generally, each of the tools mentioned previously may be appliedsimultaneously in order to customize an article of footwear. In someembodiments, text may be combined with stripes and/or lines. In otherembodiments, lines may be combined with custom designated images. Insome embodiments, stripes, text, and custom designated images may beapplied to the same footwear representation.

FIG. 11 is a preferred embodiment of graphical interface system 400including customized footwear representation 1100. In this embodiment,customized footwear representation 1100 is oriented so that medial side1102 is visible. In some embodiments, customized footwear representation1100 may include first lightning bolt 1106 disposed along front region1108. Additionally, customized footwear representation 1100 may includefirst photo 1110 and large stripe 1112, disposed along medial side 1102.Additionally, first portion 1113 of text 1114 may be disposed along rearregion 1116. Finally, small stripes 1120 are preferably disposed alongcuff region 1122.

Using directional tool 420, lateral side 1202 of customized footwearrepresentation 1100 may be displayed within graphical interface system400, as seen in FIG. 12. In a similar manner to medial side 1102,lateral side 1202 preferably includes second lightning bolt 1204disposed along front region 1108. Lateral side 1202 also preferablyincludes second photo 1206. Preferably, rear region 1116 may includesecond portion 1208 of text 1114. Finally, lateral side 1202 alsopreferably includes large stripe 1112 and small stripes 1120.

Once a customer has finished customizing a design for an article offootwear, they may be provided with an option of duplicating the designfor a second, complementary, article of footwear. In some embodiments,this option may be provided through the graphical interface system. In apreferred embodiment, the graphical interface system may include abutton configured to duplicate a design and apply it to a second,complementary, article of footwear. In some embodiments, the customermay decline this duplication option and proceed to independently designa second, complementary, article of footwear.

Preferably, once the customer has completed the designs for a pair ofarticles of footwear, these designs may be finalized and submitted tothe factory, as previously discussed. Once the designs have beenreceived by the factory, the article of footwear may be produced by aseries of steps as discussed with respect to FIG. 3. For clarity, thefollowing detailed discussion includes the steps of producing the firstarticle of footwear based on a customized design. However, it should beunderstood that these same steps apply to the production of the second,complementary article of footwear as well.

The following detailed discussion discussed the steps of applying acustomized footwear representation to an article of footwear. In someembodiments, a footwear representation to be applied to an article offootwear may be pre-designated by the manufacturer or by a third partydesigner. In other words, the design to be applied to an article offootwear need not be created using the customization system previouslydiscussed. For clarity, the following detailed description discussessteps for applying a customer created customized design to an article offootwear, however it should be kept in mind that the customized designmay include designs created by the manufacturer, a third party designer,or anyone else. Additionally, in some embodiments, a design for anarticle of footwear may be originally designed as a two dimensionalsurface. In such an embodiment, the following steps of converting athree dimensional design into two-dimensional portions may be skipped.

Preferably, a customization system may include provisions for convertinga three-dimensional customized footwear representation intotwo-dimensional portions that may be printed onto a two dimensionalsurface. In some embodiments, these provisions may include a step forassociating the two-dimensional portions with a two-dimensional surface.In a preferred embodiment, the two-dimensional portions may be orientedin a manner that reduces the space between them. This optimization stepmay be included in order to reduce the amount of excess sheet materialthat is used once the two-dimensional portions are printed onto thesheet material.

Referring to FIGS. 11-15, converting the customized design of a footwearrepresentation into flat portions that may be printed preferablyincludes several steps. During a first step, customized footwearrepresentation 1100 may be divided into several portions. A preferredembodiment of the division of customized footwear representation 1100may be visualized with first boundary 1180, second boundary 1182, andthird boundary 1184. In this embodiment, first boundary 1180 separatesforefoot portion 1186 from medial portion 1188 and lateral portion 1190.Second boundary 1182 also separates cuff portion 1192 from medialportion 1188 and lateral portion 1190. Similarly, third boundary 1184preferably separates heel portion 1194 from medial portion 1188 andlateral portion 1190. A fourth boundary, not shown here, separatesmedial portion 1188 and lateral portion 1190 along the top of customizedfootwear representation 1100.

FIG. 13 is an isometric exploded view of portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192and 1194 into which customized footwear representation 1100 may bedivided. Preferably, each of the portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192, and1194 are configured so that they may be flattened along a twodimensional surface.

During a third and final step, following the division of customizedfootwear representation 1100 into various portions, an optimizationprocedure is performed in order to minimize the amount of excessmaterial between each portion along a two dimensional layout. In apreferred embodiment, each of the portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192, and1194 may be rearranged along a two-dimensional surface in order tominimize the space between them.

The preceding discussion of a layout procedure uses FIGS. 13-15 forillustrative purposes only. Generally, the layout may be managed by acomputer algorithm that uses calculations to determine an optimizedlayout. The steps discussed here are only intended to figurativelyrepresent the general procedure by which an algorithm may optimize thelayout of two dimensional portions.

Finally, a pre-configured size of sheet material 1300 may be selectedbased on the final arrangement of portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and1194, as seen in FIG. 16. In this embodiment, the outlines of portions1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and 1194 may be visualized for illustrativepurposes only. Generally, the outlines of these portions 1186, 1188,1190, 1192 and 1194 may not be apparent until sheet material 1300 hasbeen placed through a printer.

Sheet material 1300 may be any material associated with manufacturingarticles of footwear. Example sheet materials include, but are notlimited to, felt, leather, synthetic leather and/or micro-fiber.Generally, any suitable knitted, woven and/or non-woven textile materialmay be used as sheet material 1300. Additionally combinations of thesematerials may also be used to form a composite material. In a preferredembodiment, sheet material 1300 may be synthetic leather.

Generally, the size of sheet material 1300 may vary. Some articles offootwear may be configured to different shoe sizes as well as differentshoe styles. These variations may require various different sheetmaterial sizes. In a preferred embodiment, sheet material 1300 may be astock material that is provided as a continuous roll. In otherembodiments, sheet material 1300 may be a cut sheet. Using a stockmaterial, only the necessary amount of material can be processed orprinted. This can help to reduce waste.

In some embodiments, sheet material 1300 may be configured for printingtwo complementary articles of footwear. Generally, as was done for firstcustomized footwear representation, a second customized footwearrepresentation would be divided into two-dimensional portions. Anoptimized layout for both articles of footwear would include theseadditional two-dimensional portions as well.

Referring to FIG. 17, a customization system preferably includesprovisions for applying any designs including customized designs tosheet material 1300. In some embodiments, printer 1402 may be used toapply customized designs to sheet material 1300. Generally, printer 1402may be any type of printer, including, but not limited to a dot matrixprinter, an ink jet printer, a laser printer, as well as other kind ofprinter. In a preferred embodiment, printer 1402 may be any digitalprinter.

In some embodiments, a custom design may be applied to sheet material1300 using a film transfer, or film lamination method. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 18, the custom design may be printed onto film 1450. Anytechnique may be used to print onto film 1450, including the techniquesmentioned above. In some embodiments, film 1450 may be a thin layer ofpolyurethane. In other embodiments, film 1450 may be a materialcontaining polyester. Preferably, the design may be printed in reverse,on a printed side 1452 of film 1450. The printed side 1452 can then beplaced against sheet material 1300, as shown in FIG. 18. Printing inreverse on printed side 1452 allows the correct image of the customdesign to appear when film 1450 is flipped so that printed side 1452confronts sheet material 1300, and the custom design is viewed throughupper side 1454 of film 1450. Preferably, film 1450 is substantiallytransparent, allowing the custom design to be visible from upper side1454 of film 1450.

It should be understood that in some cases the application of a printeddesign to an article of footwear may include printing the entire articleof footwear. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the entirety ofportions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and/or 1194 may be colored. Referring toFIG. 19, shading applied to entire portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and1194 represents an embodiment where substantially the entire upper of anarticle of footwear has been colored by a digital printing process. Inother words, it is not simply images, stripes or other designs that areprinted onto film 1450 and associated with sheet material 1300, but alsothe background portions, which can be thought of as analogous to basecolors of the article, have been printed as a specific color.

In some embodiments, the background or base coloring may exceed theexpected cut out region of portion 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 or 1194. Thiscan be referred to as bleeding, and this can be done to insure that theentire portion is completely colored, and that minor printing errors,misalignment, or cutting variations do not reveal blank, uncoloredareas.

Even in cases where the sheet material is substantially identical incolor to the background color of portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and1194, the background may still be printed to film 1450 or directly tosheet material 1300.

This preferred configuration may also be true for other embodiments.Generally, all the material used to manufacture an upper for an articleof footwear may be cut from sheet material 1300. Additionally, anyportion of sheet material 1300 may be printed to, and therefore any ofthe material used to manufacture the upper of an article of footwearusing this method may be printed. This is useful since, as previouslydiscussed, the sheet material may be made of a material with a colorthat is different from the desired background color of the footwearrepresentation designed by a customer or other party. With this method,the entirety of the article of footwear may be made to have anybackground color (or colors) designed by the customer or another party.

This method of printing onto the entirety of the material configured tobe used in manufacturing an article of footwear is preferred overtraditional methods of printing to articles of footwear or clothing thatonly provide a method of printing to a portion of the article. Thesetraditional methods lack the means of printing to the entirety of thematerial configured for use in making the upper of an article offootwear. Instead, they generally rely on printing a single image,design, text, or portion of an article, including articles of footwear.

Once film 1450 has been associated with material 1300, several methodsmay be used to bond film 1450 to sheet material 1300. Generally,applying heat and/or pressure to film 1450 may cause film 1450 to bondwith sheet material 1300. In FIG. 20, press 1460 preferably appliespressure and heat to film 1450, including ink layer 1462. This pressingand heating process preferably attaches film 1450, including ink layer1462 to sheet material 1300.

In other embodiments, in the process of attaching a film to a sheetmaterial, a texture may be applied to the film. In some embodiments, anembossing plate or a plate with a textured release paper may be used. Inother embodiments, an embossing roll may be used.

FIG. 21 is a preferred embodiment of a system for attaching a film tosheet material 1300. In this embodiment, film 1470, including ink layer1472, has just been bonded to sheet material 1300 by press 1476, usingheat and pressure. In this embodiment, press 1476 includes a texturedsurface 1474. This textured surface 1474 deflects or plastically deformsthe upper surface 1478 of film 1470. In some embodiments, press 1476 maybe referred to as an embossing plate. However, in other embodiments, atextured paper may be attached to the lower surface 1475—which in thisembodiment is smooth—of press 1476, to apply a texture to film 1470.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 22, film 1480, including ink layer1482, can be bonded to sheet material 1300 using embossing roll 1484. Inthis embodiment, the upper surface of film 1480 is plastically deformedunder the heat and pressure applied by embossing roll 1484 during thebonding process. This results in a composite structure of film 1480,having a textured surface 1490, attached to substrate 1300.

Using one of the preferred film transfer techniques described here, thedesign of an article of footwear may not be limited by the processesassociated with simple printing techniques. Instead, film transfermethods may be used to provide textured surfaces due to deformations ofthe film itself during an embossing process, or through the use ofrelease paper. Therefore, the finished product may include varioustextures in addition to colors and other visible design features.

In some embodiments, printer 1402 may be used to apply a protectivecoating directly to sheet material 1300, without the use of a filmtransfer technique, once a customized design has been printed onto sheetmaterial 1300. In some embodiments, printer 1402 may apply protectivecoating 1502, as seen in FIG. 23. Preferably, protective coating 1502 isapplied on top of ink layer 1504.

FIG. 25 is a two dimensional layout of portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192,and 1194, disposed along sheet material 1300. In some embodiments, sheetmaterial 1300 may also include first label 1601, second label 1602,third label 1603, fourth label 1604, and fifth label 1605. Generally,labels 1601-1605 may be used to describe the names of portions 1186,1188, 1190, 1192, and 1194, respectively. For example, in thisembodiment, first label 1601 may be FRONT, second label 1602 may beMEDIAL, third label 1603 may be LATERAL, fourth label 1604 may be CUFF,and fifth label 1605 may be REAR. Using this configuration, a worker whomay facilitate the assembly of the various pieces into a final articleof footwear may know how to assemble the portions together.

Preferably, a customization system includes provisions for removingportions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192, and 1194 from sheet material 1300. Insome embodiments, the customization system may include cutting machine1702, seen in FIG. 26. Generally, cutting machine 1702 may be any kindof device that cuts portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192, and 1194 from sheetmaterial 1300. In some embodiments, cutting machine 1702 may includeblade 1704. In other embodiments, cutting machine 1702 may include otherprovisions for removing portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192, and 1194 fromsheet material 1300. In some embodiments, cutting may be done via alaser.

Referring to FIG. 27, once portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and 1194 havebeen removed from sheet material 1300, they may be assembled. In thisembodiment, portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and 1194 have already beenassembled with outsole 1802 to construct article of footwear 1800.Forefoot portion 1186 is preferably configured to attach to medialportion 1188, lateral portion 1190 and outsole 1802.

Generally, the assembly of article of footwear 1800 may be accomplishedby stitching together portions 1186, 1188, 1190, 1192 and 1194. In someembodiments, a worker may accomplish the stitching. In otherembodiments, an automated machine may accomplish the stitching. In apreferred embodiment, a worker may facilitate stitching that isaccomplished by an automated machine.

Once article of footwear 1800 has been fully assembled, it may beinspected for quality by the manufacturer. During this step, theassembled article of footwear 1800 may be compared to the customerdesigned footwear representation. Therefore, article of footwear 1800 isnot only inspected for structural integrity, but also for designaccuracy.

Finally, once article of footwear 1800 has passed inspection, it may beprepared to ship to the customer. FIG. 28 is a preferred embodiment ofarticle of footwear 1800 being placed inside shipping box 1900. Here,second article of footwear 1902 has already been manufactured,inspected, and placed inside shipping box 1900. At this point, articlesof footwear 1800 and 1902 may be shipped to a pre-designated shippingaddress.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, thedescription is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and itwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scopeof the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restrictedexcept in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also,various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of theattached claims.

1. A method of customizing an article of footwear, comprising the stepsof: providing a graphical interface system for designing athree-dimensional footwear representation; receiving a design includinga customized three-dimensional footwear representation; converting thecustomized three-dimensional footwear representation into at least onetwo-dimensional portion; printing the two-dimensional portion onto asheet material; cutting the sheet material into at least one portion ofthe article of footwear; assembling the at least one portion into afinalized article of footwear; and shipping the finalized article offootwear to a pre-designated shipping address.
 2. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the graphical interface system includes a set ofgraphics tools.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein thegraphical interface system includes a text tool.
 4. The method accordingto claim 2, wherein the graphical interface system includes a stripetool.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material isa stock material.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein thetwo-dimensional portion is printed onto the sheet material with an inkjet printer.
 7. A method for ordering a customized article of footwear,comprising the steps of: interacting with a graphical interface system;modifying a three-dimensional footwear representation; selecting acurrent graphics tool from a set of graphics tools; using the currentgraphics tool to modify a customer selected portion; and submitting afinalized design including a customized footwear representation, andordering the article of footwear.
 8. The method according to claim 7,wherein text may be applied to the footwear representation using a texttool.
 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the view of thefootwear representation may be modified using a directional tool. 10.The method according to claim 9, wherein the footwear representation maybe translated using the directional tool.
 11. The method according toclaim 9, wherein the footwear representation may be rotated using thedirectional tool.
 12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the stepof modifying the three-dimensional footwear representation includes astep of applying an image to the three-dimensional footwearrepresentation.
 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the imageis a digital photo.
 14. A method for producing a customized article offootwear, comprising the steps of: providing a graphical interfacesystem; providing a set of graphics tools; receiving information relatedto a customized footwear representation; and producing a customizedarticle of footwear based on the customized footwear representation. 15.The method according to claim 14, wherein the graphical interface systemis accessible via a network.
 16. The method according to claim 15,wherein the network is the Internet.
 17. The method according to claim14, wherein the step of producing the article of footwear includes astep of printing a portion of the customized footwear representation.18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the portion is atwo-dimensional portion.
 19. The method according to claim 18, whereinthe two-dimensional portion is printed onto a sheet material.
 20. Themethod according to claim 19, wherein a protective coating is applied tothe sheet material after the printing step.
 21. A method for producing acustomized article of footwear, comprising the steps of: receiving acustomized footwear representation from a customer; converting thecustomized footwear representation into at least one two-dimensionalportion; printing a graphical design corresponding to the at least onetwo-dimensional portion onto a sheet material; cutting at least oneportion of the sheet material corresponding to the at least one portionof the converted two-dimensional portions; and assembling the at leastone portion into a finalized article of footwear.
 22. The methodaccording to claim 21, wherein the step of receiving the customizedfootwear representation from a customer includes the step of accessingthe Internet.
 23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step ofconverting the customized footwear representation into two or moretwo-dimensional portions includes a step of optimizing the layout of thetwo-dimensional portions.
 24. The method according to claim 21, whereinthe sheet material is a stock material.
 25. The method according toclaim 21, wherein the step of printing the graphical design includes astep of applying a protective coating to the sheet material.
 26. Themethod according to claim 21, wherein the assembled article of footwearis shipped to a pre-designated shipping address.
 27. The methodaccording to claim 21, wherein the step of printing onto the sheetmaterial includes a step of printing a label for the at least onetwo-dimensional portion.
 28. The method according to claim 21, whereinthe step of converting the three-dimensional footwear representationincludes a step of converting the three-dimensional footwearrepresentation into a first two-dimensional portion and a secondtwo-dimensional portion.
 29. The method according to claim 28, whereinthe step of printing includes a step of printing a first graphicaldesign to the first two-dimensional portion and a second graphicaldesign to the second two-dimensional portion along the sheet material.30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the step of cuttingincludes a step of cutting the first two-dimensional portion and thesecond two-dimensional portion.
 31. The method according to claim 30,wherein the step of assembling includes a step of assembling the firsttwo-dimensional portion and the second two-dimensional portion into thefinalized article of footwear.
 32. A method of ordering an article offootwear with a custom designated image, comprising the steps of:incorporating a custom designated image into a graphical interfacesystem; associating a footwear representation with the custom designatedimage; submitting a customized footwear representation including acustom designated image and ordering the article of footwear.
 33. Themethod according to claim 32, wherein the custom designated image issubmitted via a network.
 34. The method according to claim 33, whereinthe network is the Internet.
 35. The method according to claim 34,wherein the graphical interface system includes a set of graphics tools.36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the set of graphics toolsincludes a text tool.
 37. The method according to claim 32, wherein thecustom designated image is a photo.
 38. The method according to claim32, wherein the step of submitting a custom designated image includes astep of downloading an image from the Internet.
 39. A method ofproducing an article of footwear with a custom designated image,comprising the steps of: receiving a customized footwear representationincluding a custom designated image; and producing the article offootwear based on the customized footwear representation that includesthe custom designated image.
 40. The method according to claim 39,wherein the step of receiving a custom designated image includes a stepof accessing a network.
 41. The method according to claim 40, whereinthe network is the Internet.
 42. The method according to claim 39,wherein the step of producing the article of footwear includes a step ofconverting a portion of the customized footwear representation includingthe custom designated image to a two-dimensional portion.
 43. The methodaccording to claim 42, wherein the two-dimensional portion is printed ona sheet material.
 44. The method according to claim 43, wherein thesheet material is a stock material.
 45. The method according to claim39, wherein a second custom designated image is incorporated.
 46. Amethod of minimizing the total area of a sheet material used tomanufacture a customized article of footwear, comprising the steps of:dividing a three-dimensional footwear representation into a first twotwo-dimensional portion and a second two-dimensional portion; optimizinga layout of the two-dimensional portions; and applying the optimizedlayout of the first two-dimensional portion and the secondtwo-dimensional portion to a sheet material.
 47. The method according toclaim 46, wherein the three-dimensional footwear representation isdivided into three two-dimensional portions.
 48. The method according toclaim 46, wherein the three-dimensional footwear representation isdivided into more than three two-dimensional portions.
 49. The methodaccording to claim 46, wherein the step of optimizing a layout of thetwo-dimensional portions includes a step of minimizing the area disposedbetween the two-dimensional portions along a two-dimensional surface.50. The method according to claim 46, wherein the sheet material is astock material.
 51. A method of customizing a pair of complementaryarticles of footwear, comprising the steps of: providing a graphicalinterface system for designing a three-dimensional footwearrepresentation; receiving a design including a customizedthree-dimensional footwear representation; associating the customizedthree-dimensional footwear representation with a first article offootwear; including an option within the graphical interface system forduplicating the customized three-dimensional footwear representation tobe associated with a second article of footwear that is complementary tothe first article of footwear; and producing a pair of complementaryarticles of footwear.
 52. The method according to claim 51, wherein theoption is a button.
 53. The method according to claim 51, wherein thegraphical interface system includes a set of graphics tools.
 54. Themethod according to claim 53, wherein the set of graphics tools includesa text tool.
 55. The method according to claim 53, wherein the set ofgraphics tools includes a stripe tool.
 56. The method according to claim51, wherein the graphical interface system includes a directional tool.57. A method of customizing a pair of complementary articles offootwear, comprising the steps of: providing a graphical interfacesystem for designing a first three-dimensional footwear representationand a second three-dimensional footwear representation; receiving adesign including a first customized three-dimensional footwearrepresentation and a second customized three-dimensional footwearrepresentation; associating the first customized three-dimensionalfootwear representation with a first article of footwear and the secondcustomized three-dimensional footwear representation with a secondarticle of footwear that is complementary to the first; and producing apair of complementary articles of footwear.
 58. The method according toclaim 57, wherein the first article of footwear is substantially similarto the second article of footwear.
 59. The method according to claim 58,wherein the first article of footwear is substantially dissimilar to thesecond article of footwear.
 60. The method according to claim 57,wherein the graphical interface system includes a set of graphics tools.61. The method according to claim 60, wherein the set of graphics toolsincludes a text tool.
 62. The method according to claim 60, wherein theset of graphics tools includes a stripe tool.
 63. A method of minimizingthe total area of a sheet material used to manufacture an article offootwear, comprising the steps of: dividing a design for an article offootwear into a first two-dimensional portion and a secondtwo-dimensional portion; optimizing a layout of the two-dimensionalportions; and applying the optimized layout of the first two-dimensionalportion and the second two-dimensional portion to a sheet material. 64.The method according to claim 63, wherein the design for the article offootwear is divided into three two-dimensional portions.
 65. The methodaccording to claim 63, wherein the design for the article of footwear isdivided into more than three two-dimensional portions.
 66. The methodaccording to claim 63, wherein the step of optimizing a layout of thetwo-dimensional portions includes a step of minimizing the area disposedbetween the two-dimensional portions along a two-dimensional surface.67. The method according to claim 63, wherein the sheet material is astock material.
 68. A method of minimizing the total area of a sheetmaterial used to manufacture a complementary pair of footwear,comprising the steps of: dividing a first design for a first article offootwear into a first two-dimensional portion and a secondtwo-dimensional portion; dividing a second design for a second articleof footwear that is complementary to the first into a thirdtwo-dimensional portion and a fourth two-dimensional portion; optimizingthe layout of the first two-dimensional portion, the secondtwo-dimensional portion, the third two-dimensional portion and thefourth two-dimensional portion; and applying the optimized layout of thefirst two-dimensional portion, the second two-dimensional portion, thethird two-dimensional portion and the fourth two-dimensional portion toa sheet material.
 69. The method according to claim 68, wherein thefirst design for the first article of footwear is divided into more thantwo portions.
 70. The method according to claim 68, wherein the seconddesign for the second article of footwear is divided into more than twoportions.
 71. The method according to claim 68, wherein the sheetmaterial is a stock material.
 72. The method according to claim 68,wherein the first design and the second design are customized designs.73. A method for producing an article of footwear, comprising the stepsof: receiving a design for an article of footwear; converting the designfor the article of footwear into at least one two-dimensional portion;printing a graphical design corresponding to the at least onetwo-dimensional portion onto a sheet material; applying a protectivefilm to the sheet material; cutting at least one portion of the sheetmaterial corresponding to the at least one portion of the convertedtwo-dimensional portions; and assembling the at least one portion into afinalized article of footwear.
 74. The method according to claim 73,wherein the protective film is a clear coating.
 75. The method accordingto claim 74, wherein the protective film is a plastic film.
 76. Themethod according to claim 73, wherein the protective film is applied toonly a portion of the sheet material.
 77. The method according to claim73, wherein the sheet material is a stock material.
 78. The methodaccording to claim 73, wherein the printer is an ink jet printer.
 79. Amethod for producing an article of footwear, comprising the steps of:receiving a design for an article of footwear; converting the design forthe article of footwear into at least one two-dimensional portion, theat least one two-dimensional portion being associated with a firstregion of the article of footwear; printing a graphical designcorresponding to the at least one two-dimensional portion onto a sheetmaterial and a label associated with the first region; cutting at leastone portion of the sheet material corresponding to the at least oneportion of the converted two-dimensional portions; and assembling the atleast one portion into a finalized article of footwear.
 80. The methodaccording to claim 79, wherein the design is converted into multipletwo-dimensional portions.
 81. The method according to claim 80, whereineach of the multiple two-dimensional portions are associated with aregion of the article of footwear.
 82. The method according to claim 81,wherein each of the multiple two-dimensional portions are printed onto asheet material.
 83. The method according to claim 82, wherein a label isprinted and associated with each of the two-dimensional portions. 84.The method according to claim 81, wherein each of the two-dimensionalportions are cut from the sheet material.
 85. The method according toclaim 84, wherein the article of footwear is assembled from the multipletwo-dimensional portions.
 86. The method according to claim 79, whereinthe sheet material is a substantially continuous sheet of material. 87.A method for producing a customized article of footwear, comprising thesteps of: receiving a customized footwear representation from acustomer; converting the customized footwear representation into a setof two-dimensional portions, the set including a first two-dimensionalportion; associating each two-dimensional portion with a portion of asheet material; printing substantially the entire area of the firsttwo-dimensional portion; cutting the first two-dimensional portion; andassembling the first two-dimensional portion with a secondtwo-dimensional portion.
 88. The method according to claim 87, whereinthe set of two-dimensional portions includes more than twotwo-dimensional portions.
 89. The method according to claim 87, whereineach two-dimensional portion is printed onto a film.
 90. The methodaccording to claim 89, wherein the film comprises polyurethane.
 91. Themethod according to claim 87, wherein the sheet material is printedbeyond the entire area of the first two-dimensional portion.
 92. Amethod for producing a customized article of footwear, comprising thesteps of: receiving a customized footwear representation from acustomer; converting the customized footwear representation into atleast one two-dimensional portion; printing the reverse image of agraphical design corresponding to the at least one two-dimensionalportion onto a film; attaching the film with a sheet material using apress; cutting at least one portion of the sheet material correspondingto the at least one portion of the converted two-dimensional portions;and assembling the at least one portion into a finalized article offootwear.
 93. The method according to claim 92, wherein the filmcomprises polyurethane.
 94. The method according to claim 92, wherein arelease paper is used to apply a texture onto the film.
 95. The methodaccording to claim 92, wherein a texture is applied to the film with anembossing plate.
 96. The method according to claim 92, wherein a textureis applied using an embossing roll.